Clearly encouraged by the positive reception to her debut album, soul singer Jill Scott has audaciously chosen to follow it up with a double CD set - one a live performance, the other a studio set of new songs. The two present an odd contrast, suggesting that while Scott has talent in spades, she hasn't yet worked out the best way of using it. The studio CD is certainly impressive stuff: nine slick compositions which show off Scott's sultry vocals and tasteful, sparse arrangements to great advantage. Live, however, she allows her self-indulgence to run riot, improvising wildly as every song is extended to inordinate length (in front, it must be said, of a deliriously enthusiastic audience). Scott is clearly one of the most promising of the nu-soul bratpack, but next time out she needs someone to remind her that you can have too much of a good thing.
